Shikanda, Shimanyula in war-of-words over winger Thiongo

Joseph Saasia  in Nairobi

AFC Leopards will part with any amount to sign Kakamega Homeboyz winger Peter Thiong’o, club boss Dan Shikanda has claimed.

Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula had earlier claimed that Ingwe are a broke club who cannot afford to sign the highly-rated winger but Shikanda has responded and said nobody will stand on their way if the player is on their transfer wish list.

“If we decide we want the player nobody can stand on our way, that is primarily our target so if we decide Peter Thiong’o is on our list we will surely get him,” Shikanda told Citizen Digital.

“Even if Shimanyula is going to ask for Sh100 million we will get him.

“We have not drafted any list of potential new signings so far and I do not know between Kakamega Homeboyz and Leopards which side should be bragging of having more money than the other.

“You can brag you have got money when you have Sh1 million and another one may have Kh100 million and both can rightfully chest thump that they have got money.

“The word money is relative and it depends on what you are talking about. I wonder how much Shimanyula pays his players against what we pay our players so that he can brag that he has money and AFC Leopards have got no money,” Shikanda went on.

“We are only interested in players that we want and if Shimanyula thinks Ingwe have got money or not is none of our concern,” he continued.

“So, I don’t understand why somebody should tell me that AFC Leopards have got no money.

” Let him continue thinking he has got money and AFC Leopards do not but let me say if we decide we want Thiong’o then Shimanyula will cry in the washrooms.

“But if we are not interested in the player then that is it. I am just sorry for Shimanyula if Thiong’o is on our list.

“Time will tell. It is not important to debate who has got more money and who has got no money,” Shikanda concluded.

Shimanyula has been a fierce critic of his rivals and when reports emerged that ngwe were in talks with Thiong’o, Derrick Otanga and Musa Masika, he quickly claimed the winger was above the purchasing power of the former Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions.

“AFC Leopards are simply broke and cannot afford to buy Thiong’o, they should try to sign players from elsewhere, they don’t have money to pay for the player and we all know they are struggling financially,” Shimanyula said in an early interview.

The big cats and Kakamega Homeboyz are yet to sign any new players since the transfer window opened.